1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to projection methods and systems, and, more particularly, to systems, devices, and methods augmenting a food product such as a cake with projected media such as video images that promote storytelling and/or interactivity with the food product.
2. Relevant Background
There are many occasions and events for which it is desirable to create a unique and personalized food product. For example, a birthday is often celebrated in part by decorating a cake in a personalized way suited to an individual such as to include their name and ornamentations matching their hobbies and interests or otherwise creating a unique experience. Ornamentation of various food products, such as cakes, confections, bread loaves, cookies, and various other pastries is often carried out for the celebration of birthdays, holidays, and various festive or similar occasions such as parties. In another well-known example, wedding cakes are sometimes very elaborately ornamented by various elaborate decorations such as candles, a bride and groom figurine, and the like and also with very elaborate levels, shapes, and frosting designs. Another example of a decorative food product is the chocolate fountain in which guests can dip fruit, cake, marshmallows, and other food items to provide a fun and interactive experience.
More recently, there has been a demand for creating customized and personalized decoration of cakes and other food products to create a more unique party event. Generally, typical cake or food product decorating accessories, including those providing electrical illumination, are characterized by structure that extends over or under a cake and that holds candles or light bulbs that project around or above the cake surface. To date, it has been difficult to customize or personalize these decorating accessories to be specific to a person celebrating their birthday or other event or to a couple celebrating their wedding. Customization has often been limited to a particular frosting design such as to include a message such as “Happy Birthday, Amanda” or arranging characters or numbers provided in decoration packages such as to provide a person's age. Each of these techniques is limited in the type of message that can be provided, and the decoration is static, e.g., does not change and is not interactive. Other decoration techniques have included applying an image onto the frosting of the cake similar to printing a still image on a T-shirt, but, again, this is a static decoration with limited appeal.
At some events, such as birthday parties, attendees are able to decorate or customize their cakes using special pans, decorating tools, and decorations/ornaments, and, while the decorating experience may be enjoyable, the resulting cake is still only decorated with static items and may not be unique to the celebrants (e.g., decorated with characters from a movie that would be similar for any other child). As a result, companies that host parties and decoration manufacturers are continuing to search for ways to customize a party to the attendees or a particular celebrant (such as a child on their birthday, a couple on their wedding day, and so on), and, particularly, for ways to provide food products such as cakes that are customized and unique for the celebrant or for a particular party. In some settings, it is also desirable for the food product to be decorated or include ornamentation that is dynamic and entertaining such that the food product or cake provides a portion of the entertainment for the event or that enhances the memories of the event for all that attend.